Brighter Choice schools’ CFO charged with embezzlement

ALBANY — The former chief financial officer for the Brighter Choice Foundation, which provides funding and support to 10 public charter schools in Albany, has been charged with embezzling $202,837 from the organization.
The arrest Wednesday of Ronald A. Racela marks the second time in four years that Racela has been charged with grand larceny. Two years ago, Racela admitted stealing $53,931 from KeyBank in Albany, where he was employed as a manager in the Community Development Lending Group, court records show.
M. Christian Bender, executive director of Brighter Choice Foundation, said Brighter Choice officials were not aware of Racela’s criminal history when he was hired as financial director of Brighter Choice Charter Schools in June 2010. Bender said Racela described his separation from KeyBank as “tense” but did not disclose he had been arrested for embezzlement eight months before he was hired by Brighter Choice.
“I knew that it had not been a smooth separation, but obviously I had no idea that it involved criminal activity on his part,” Bender said Friday.
Still, a state Education Department spokesman said the agency sent written notice of Racela’s criminal history to the charter school last March, when it denied the school’s request to clear Racela for employment. The spokesman said the agency had first flagged an employment clearance request for Racela that was submitted by Brighter Choice in December 2011. By that time, Racela had already been working for Brighter Choice schools for about 18 months.Full story from Saturday’s edition.